Koh Samet

Just outside of Bangkok, about a 3 hr. drive, the island of Koh Samet lies just offshore and is accessed via a large ferry of sorts. We all needed a little more beach experience and this was the easiest so with few expectations we headed to the Gulf of Thailand where we were surprised by the beauty of the beach, white sand and calm, clear water. The accommodations left a lot to be desired--we tried renting a family room with beds for 6--but quickly moved to another hotel with slightly better facilities and definitely more privacy. Meals were basic and not very tasty but the children were out of the room by 7am and spent the day in the warm water and on the beach. They quickly shed their bathing suits which collected too much sand and didn't even wear their inflatable arm bands. There were boats to climb and jump from, fish to chase, new friends to play with. The twins loved it and so did the parents and grandparents!

Packing For Home

Gabe and Jen's time in Thailand is finished and it's now time to jam everything into the bags, check the schedules and prepare the boys for another long journey. Such a difference 3 months makes in these young lives. On this end, they have packed their backpacks themselves, they understand how they will travel and know how to clear a security checkpoint in the airport. Their passports have numerous stamps already and they understand that money is useful. They look forward to the airport as a playground--lots of escalators and moving walkways, cardboard cutouts to tip over, drinking fountains to play in, and, best of all, airplanes to watch. Ted and I won't know how to eat a meal anymore if we don't have to bolt our food in 5 minutes. Our hotel in Bangkok was perfect for children with cupboards to explore, an entire room that we used as our "private" dining room so as not to disturb other guests with racing children and flying food. The hotel staff joined the boys in their antics and frequently encouraged them to greater adventures. They have learned to recognize their floor numbers from the elevator and can find their way thru a maze of hotel corridors. The location near the Sky Train and river ferries allowed us several ways of exploring the city. Carrying two strollers and hanging onto two kids as we climbed 82 steps to the train and then repeated it back down again gave us new respect for the handicap access in the US. We've ended our time together with lasts minute trips to the Palace, river trips, shopping mall adventures to cool ourselves down favorite foods., enjoying favorite foods, and saying good-by to friends (the ticket takers, tuk-tuk drivers, hotel staff and the fish at the wat across the street).

Happy New Year Thailand

Songkran, the Thai New Year Festival, occurred the last week of our stay in Chiang Mai. Basically the Thai people let loose with a lot of water, flinging it on whoever passed by using fire hoses, water guns, or even buckets. Anyone is fair game with no sympathy shown for camera or cell phones. You reach your destination completely soaked and probably covered with a rice paste as well. After several days of crying children and wet clothes we opted to head to Bangkok which was in the middle of seige itself--the red shirts were trying to take control of the city and the government troops were spraying tear gas and rubber bullets everywhere but a war zone seemed preferable to more water. We came to our senses and got off the train early, in Ayuthaya, once the capital of the country and now filled with lovely ruins. But at 4 in the morning with 13 pieces of luggage, two kids, four adults and the guesthouse not open until 7am none of us were very happy. The train trip was lovely( if you ignored the occasional cockroach). We each had our own cabin and shared children. Before departure the engineer loaded the boys into the engine and let them "steer" much to their delight. While exploring Max pushed the emergency call button and the porter rushed to our cabin where we were profusely apologising. Thank goodness it wasn't the emergency stop button!

Loving Luang Prabang

A short one hour flight from Chiang Mai on a small prop plane lies Luang Prabang, located in the mountains of northern Laos. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Luang Prabang is considered the best preserved town in SE Asia and was loved by all of us, including the twins who found a lane of playmates every afternoon in front of our guesthouse. We were able to walk to all parts of the city and spent hours exploring the temples, lanes, historic properties and waterfalls in the area. Six days flew by quickly although we were pretty tired of Lao food when we left. Massages were $4/hr. and food was delivered by a lady with a cart down the lanes every evening. French baguettes were crisp and delicious and could be made into sandwiches at several stands near the evening market. The evening market was a feast for shoppers but could be a nuisance if you were trying to get from one end of town to the other quickly. Venders set up every day at 5pm with beautiful crafts and tourists clogged the street shopping. The morning market was quite special with the locals buying their produce, fish and meat for the day, including guinea pigs, snakes and a weed gathered from the river that is made into a thin, crisp cracker. You haven't tasted rice cakes quite like the ones drying by the side of the street. The exhaust from the tuk-tuks seems to give them a special flavor.

Every morning at 6am the monks do their procession for alms, lots of color and solemnity. Trips outside the city include a temple in a cave on the Mekong and a very impressive waterfall with swimming possibilities. Transport is in the back of a red truck on bench seats or in a tuk-tuk, a small cart pulled by a motorcycle, or even a bike for the fit. Now with a fresh visa for Thailand we are good to go for another month.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Shrieks of "tuk-tuk" and big smiles greet our current mode of transport as we explore northern Thailand with two 2-yr. olds. The boys have learned to sit calmly and observe their passing environment as we travel from our apartment that is located a short distance outside the old city. Nap time at mid-day means that there are two adventures each day intended to exhaust their high energy levels and to give our downstairs neighbors a break. Our new "home" is a one-bedroom apartment on the 4th floor and the 6 of us have settled in quite well to the small space. Living on a boat prepares you for cramped quarters. The newer apartments come with 2 bathrooms, usually, and a small kitchen area with a 2-burner hotplate and sometimes a microwave--no oven. In our apt. we have 3 plates, 3 bowls, and assorted spoons and forks. Fortunately Tesco, a discount store similar to Walmart, is located within walking distance. Apartment buildings also have a small "cafe" area--ours serves Fried Rice with egg and vegs. delivered to your apt. for $1 and it makes a nice meal. Down at the end of the lane is a fellow that fries chicken pieces in a huge oil-filled wok on the street which we sometimes pick up for the boy's dinner and on the walk back home live two Thai women that always come running out with balls of sticky rice for them to nibble on. The twins seem to attract attention like strong magnets. Someone is always picking them up, kissing them, and they seem to tolerate the attention before wandering off. This is the smoky season in Chiang Mai and dust and dirt seem to settle everywhere. Our feet are always black which maybe is why the showers come with a faucet that seems to be made for washing feet. The twins used to be clean but now they spend their days absolutely filthy, t-shirts covered with grime and food, hands black from picking up rocks, and knees bruised from climbing up and down stairs and in and out of buses and tuk-tuks. Today is Saturday here which means Saturday Market at 4pm for good shopping for tourist crafts and food. They actually have people standing on line for the fried grasshoppers and grubs!

Elephants are a big tourist attraction here and since we don't support the training methods necessary for them to paint pictures and transport tourists we had to travel a little further to the Elephant Nature Park which is a sanctuary for abused elephants. The boys loved feeding the huge beasts until one mistook Max's arm for a banana but they still continued to play with them in the river and watch them as they rolled in the mud.

New Season in SE Asia

We've returned to Langkawi, Malaysia after a few months in Florida and with this return comes a new adventure. Our twin 2-yr. old grandchildren and their parents have joined us and we are seeing things through different eyes. We traveled from the US with one of the boys and their parents traveled with another boy via a totally different route, ending in Bangkok within minutes of each other. For 6 days and nights we all struggled with the time change but eventually it all settled down and the other hotel residents breathed a sigh of relief. No more 2am chirps from the little peanut gallery! Instead of the usual tourist sights in Bangkok we visited the train station, rode boats on the river, fed the fish every day at the wat across the street from the hotel, rode tuk-tuks and the sky train and tried out all of the playgrounds. The boys have seen elephants, monkeys, monitor lizards and rhinoserous hornbills. They have learned to swim with arm bands and have no fear in the pool or the sea. They have tasted Dragon fruit, papaya, thai curries, but the french fries with catsup are their all-time favorite and have ruined every piece of clothing they own. Their little feet are getting quite tough and they dance quickly thru the hot sand into the water where they spend a couple of hours each day until exhaustion takes over.

Now the big adventure begins. First, a 2-yr. birthday party with Mickey Mouse cake and then we all attempt to check out of Malaysia and sail for Thailand. It can be a short or long trip, depending on how many stops one makes and how accommodating the children are. Two of them can destroy the interior of a boat real quick!

Temples and More Temples

SE Asia is full of temples, Buddhist, Hindu, Chinese, etc. Here on Pulau Penang (island) there are even private temples that belong to families and their beauty competes with those that are larger and belong to the entire population. Entire clans will have a temple with their individual accomplishments recorded on gold plaques. Penang is a medium size island separated from the mainland by a fast moving channel and sports a nice marina that is rapidly disintegrating due to lack of maintenance and the fact that there is no breakwater to separate the yachts and the docks from the wash of the ferries that are continuously disgorging passengers. The slips have silted to the point that more than half cannot be used and the yachts toss dangerously back and forth in the wake threatening to lock masts. The water is so full of floatsom that we continuously suck garbage into our systems, shutting them down. At low tide the smell of the mud flats is nauseating but the customers sitting in the lovely restaurants overlooking the water don't seem to notice. So why do we stay? A one block walk puts us in the center of the second largest city in Malaysia where we can wander and explore-a delightful change from our visits to isolated islands. Today is the end of Ramadan and there will be feasts and family visits for a large part of the population. Approximately 40% of the island is Muslim and the rest are Chinese, or Straits-Chinese better known as Nyona. In the Indian section of town the stalls are full of large pots of food that are spooned into bags or containers to take home. Garlands of marigolds hang everywhere bringing a lot of color to the area. The Straits-Chinese food differs from Chinese food as we know it. The flavors are subtle and addictive, the spring rolls from Malacca are so good that we would fly there just to eat them! Fiery chilis are a large ingredient in the dishes as they are in the Indian foods. Similar to the rest of the areas throughout the Pacific we have visited there are no provisions made for pedestrians. Crosswalks are non-existent as are sidewalks so one walks with traffic and dashes across streets hoping not to be run over. Motorbikes zip in and out, usually with more than one person riding and many times with families of 4 or 5. Ted actually had the guts to ride a bike here.

Both Malacca and Georgetown (the main city on the island of Penang) have been declared World Heritage cities. Malacca seemed more prepared for tourism with many of its lovely buildings restored but Georgetown, although the larger of the two cities, has yet to renovate many buildings. The monsoon seems to be rearing its ugly head for a last gasp before transition season as we have had hard rain for the last 3 days, continuously, and it is expected to continue for at least another 2 days. There are lots of landslides blocking the roads.